Pen or pencil holder



Aug. v4 1953 c. R. BILBREY 2,547,517

PEN OR PENCIL HOLDER Filed June 22, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 iii? ATTORNEYS.

C. R. BILBREY PEN OR PENCIL HOLDER Aug. 4, 1953 2 SheQt-SheefI 2 Filed June 22, 1949 IN V EN TOR.'

Patented Aug. 4, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE PEN R PENCIL HOLDER Charles R. Bilbrey, Chicago, Ill.

Application June 22, 1949, Serial No. 100,673

(Cl. L29-1) 3 Claims.

This invention relates to a pen or pencil holder; in particular, it relates to a device adapted to be received within the snap rings of a conventional loose-leaf notebook and adapted to carry therein a pen, pencil, or other Writing tool.

The provision of a convenient, safe, and readily accessible place for carrying a writing tool is a problem which always confronts students, attorneys, and other persons who are accustomed to doing research in libraries. One generally used but highly unsatisfactory expedient is` the pocket clip; its disadvantages are numerous. For one thing, a pencil carried in the pocket can be depended on to mark up the clothing of the wearer, and the sharp point frequently tears clothing. Moreover, the point of a pencil carvried in a pocket is very likely to be broken.

Other disadvantages of carrying pencils in pockets include marring of personal neatness and the fact that womens clothes almost never secure against vibration and which will protectv their points from breakage.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a holder device, mountable in the snap rings of a loose-leaf notebook, wherein means are provided for holding a pencil kor pen securely yet removably.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a. holder for a writing instrument which can be mounted within the snap rings of a looseleaf notebook and securely held in place thereby, although removable on opening of the snap rings.

A still further object of myinvention is to provide a pencil holder, mountable within a looseleaf notebook, which provides both a carrying receptacle for the pencil and a built-in pencil Sharpener.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will appear as the specification proceeds.

My invention is illustrated, in illustrative embodiments, in the appended drawing, of which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a conventional loose-leaf notebook showing a writing instrument holder according to my invention mounted within the snap rings; Fig. 2, a fragmentary detail view of the notebook of Fig. 1, saidvew showing the cover and binder mechanism of the notebook as viewed along the axis of the snap rings; Fig. 3 is a perspective view of an illlustrative embodiment of my invention as it appears when removed from the notebook in which it is normally carried; Fig. 4, is a sectional view of the embodiment of Fig. 3, the section beinga vertical one along the principal axis; Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view of the embodiment of Fig. 3, the section being `taken along the line 5-5 of Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is another transverse sectional view of the embodiment of Fig. 3, the section being taken along the line 6`-'6 of Fig. 4; Fig. 7 is a vertical sectional view, taken along the principal axis. of a modied form of my invention; Fig. 8 is va transverse sectional view of the Fig. 7 embodiment, the section being taken along the line 8-8 of Fig. '7 Fig. 9 is a sectional view of a third form of my invention, the section being a` Vertical one taken along the main axis; and Fig. 10, a transverse sectional view of the embodiment of Fig. 9, the section being taken along the line vIll-lll of Fig. 9.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2,l the notebook IIJ therein shown is of the conventional snap-ring type having three snap rings I I. As will be seen best from Fig. 2, the snap rings are carried in and supported by a metal backing plate I2 which, as is customary, is provided with a rounded smooth forward surface.l The writing instrument holder which constitutes my invention is carried within the snap rings and is denoted I5. It will be observed that it is of generally tubular form and provided with a pair of outwardly and downwardly extending flanges I6, the under surfaces of which are provided with concave curvature to conform substantially to the convex curvature of backing member I2.

Each of the wing anges I6 has a plurality of notches IEa arranged symmetrically along the length thereof; these notches are intended for registration and co-operation with the snap rings II. Since note-books vary one from another in the number and position of the snap rings, as many pairs of notches I61a may be provided as desired; those which lare not received within snap rings serve no function with respect to a particular notebook, but, as will be obvious, they increase the versatility and usefulness of any given holder device I5.

As will be noted by reference to Figs. 3-10 inclusive, the wing flanges I6 and notches I6a are common to all the embodiments of my invention therein illustrated. Accordingly, those reference numerals will be employed throughout this specific-ation to denote those elements.

A typical embodiment of my invention is shown in considerable detail in Figs. 3-6 inclusive. An elongated tubular body 2 I, which may be formed ofmeta1, .plastic, or any `other suitable material,

movement by the co-operative action of springs 43 and lll.

At the same time, a pencil 59, which may be either a wood pencil or a mechanical type, may be carried Within the other end of barrel 2| and similarly secured by springs 43 and 41 against escape or vibration.

Still another modification of my invention is illustrated in Figs. 9 and 10. In this form of my invention barrel 2| is replaced by a partially open support member 5| having a cylindrical central portion 92 provided with axial recesses 52a and 521) for receiving writing instruments. The under side of member 5| is provided with a doubleended leaf spring il identical in structure to that shown in the Fig. 7 embodiment; this leaf spring is anchored to the support member 5 I, at its midpoint by pins or screws 48.

Near each of the ends of support member 5|, in slots provided therein, is mounted a spring sleeve or clamp 53. The precise manner of mounting of member 53 is not important, and it is understood that I am not limiting myself to the particular mounting style shown.

In the operation of this form of my invention, the Writing instrument, normally a fountain pen or mechanical pencil, is passed through sleeve member 53 and thereupon inserted into recess 52a or 52h, as the case may be. The action just described is accomplished While the appropriate end of leaf spring lll is being held down manually. After the Writing instrument has been seated Within recess 52a or 52h, leaf spring 41 is released and its orthogonally disposed portion thereupon engages the end of the Writing instrument and holds it securely seated. As in the other forms of my invention, removal o-f the Writing instrument is accomplished by depression of leaf spring 4l. Since 'the resilient coil spring of the other embodiments has been dispensed With in this form of my invention, this embodiment is particularly adapted for use with fountain pens or mechanical pencils, the length of which remains constant. In the other forms, the coil spring assures rm seating of wooden pencils varying substantially one from another in length.

While I have in this specication described in considerable detail certain embodiments of my invention for purposes of illustration, it is understood that numerous variations in matters of detail can be made therein by persons skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and underlying principles of my invention. I accordingly desire that the scope of my invention shall not be limited to the particular embodiments herein shown and described but shall be determined by reference to the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a writing instrument holder adapted to be removably carried in a snap-ring notebook, a tubular body member having an open end for receiving a Writing instrument, a spring seat in said body member spaced from the open end thereof, said tubular body member providing interiorly thereof an elongated recess terminating at one end a spaced 'distance from said spring seat and terminating at the other end a substantial distance from the open end of said body member, an elongated coil spring within said body member and engaging at one end said seat while the other end of the spring is free to move axially within said body member, an annular stop member having a laterally-extending portion received in said recess and being axially slidable within said body member within the limits of said recess,

said stop member providing a seat for the free end of said spring and having a centrally-aligned opening therein adapted to receive the pointed end of a writing instrument, and a leaf spring disposed longitudinally of said body member and being secured thereto and equipped with a laterally-extending closure portion adapted to extend over the open end of said body member, said leaf spring normally holding said closure portion in closure position and being manually movable to open said body member, said recess being related to said coil spring so that the stop member holds the spring in slightly compressed condition when the laterally-extending portion of the stop member engages the terminal end of the recess nearest the open end of said body member.

2. T e structure of claim 1 wherein said tubular body member is equipped With laterally-extending wing flanges having a plurality of longitudinally-spaced notches adapted to align with the snap rings of a notebook for securing said holder therein.

3. In a writing instrument holder adapted to be removably carried in a snap-ring notebook, an elongated body member having a longitudinallyextending passage therein and an open end for receiving a Writing instrument, a spring seat in said passage and spaced from the open end of said body member, said body member providing interiorly thereof an elongated recess in open communication with said passage and terminating at one end a spaced distance from said spring seat and terminating at the other end a relatively long distance from the open end of said body member, an elongated coil spring within said passage and engaging at one end said spring seat While the other end of the spring is free to move axially within said passage, a stop member slidably mounted Within said passage and having a laterally-extending portion slidably received Within said recess, said stop member providing a seat for the free end of said spring and having a centrally-aligned opening therein adapted. to receive the reduced end of a writing instrument, and a leaf spring disposed longitudinally of said body member and being secured thereto and equipped with a laterally-extending closure p0rtion adapted to extend over the open end of said body member, said leaf spring being biased to normally hold said closure portion in closure position and being manually movable to open the end of said body member, said recess being related to said coil spring so that the stop member holds the spring in slightly compressed condition when the laterally-extending portion of the stop member engages the terminal end of the recess nearest the open end of said body member.

CHARLES R. BILBREY.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 199,253 Barrows et al Jan. l5, 1878 642,498 Smith Jan. 30, 1900 854,507 Klipfel May 21, 1907 1,107,644 Beidler Aug, 18, 1914 2,184,823 Vernon Dec. 26, 1939 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 20,285 Great Britain of 1905 

